Il Messaggiere - Madagascar's cornered president ignores calls to resign

The twice-delayed speech marked his first public address since a mutinous army unit backed anti-government protests, and followed reports that the 51-year-old leader had fled the country.

"Since September 25, there have been attempts on my life and coup attempts. A group of military personnel and politicians planned to assassinate me," he said in a live address on Facebook.

"I was forced to find a safe place to protect my life," he said, without revealing his location.

The protests, led by mostly young demonstrators, erupted over chronic power and water cuts in the impoverished Indian Ocean country, but developed into a broader anti-government movement calling for Rajoelina to resign.

Rajoelina, a former mayor of the capital, Antananarivo, called for the constitution to be respected, ignoring calls to step down.

"I am on a mission to find solutions," he said.

Rajoelina first came to power in 2009 following a coup sparked by an uprising that ousted former president Marc Ravalomanana.

Radio France Internationale said Rajoelina left Madagascar on a French military plane at the weekend, but French officials did not immediately respond to AFP's request for confirmation.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who expressed "great concern" over the island's crisis, also refused to confirm this.

Rajoelina has not appeared in public since Wednesday and his address, set for state television and radio, was twice delayed Monday as armed forces attempted to seize the state broadcaster.

- Defying orders -

Earlier in the day, mutinous soldiers and security forces who pledged support to the demonstrators at the weekend joined jubilant crowds in front of Antananarivo city hall, in a rally that had an air of celebration amid expectations Rajoelina would step down.

Among the crowds in the morning rally were soldiers from the army CAPSAT unit, which played a major role in the 2009 coup.

On Saturday, the unit declared it would "refuse orders to shoot" on demonstrations, some of which have been met with harsh security force action.

Also present were officers from the gendarmerie paramilitary police force, accused of using heavy-handed tactics during the protests. They admitted in a video statement to "faults and excesses" in their response.

The United Nations has said at least 22 people were killed in the first days of the protests, some by security forces and others in violence sparked by criminal gangs and looters.

Rajoelina has disputed the toll, saying last week there were "12 confirmed deaths and all of these individuals were looters and vandals".

As pressure mounted on Rajoelina, he pardoned eight individuals in a decree issued Monday, including French-Malagasy dual national Paul Maillot Rafanoharana, who was sentenced in 2021 to 20 years in prison for an attempted coup in Madagascar.

- 'Apologise and resign' -

Amid rumours that Rajoelina had fled, his government said Saturday he remained in Madagascar and was managing national affairs.

Ahead of his speech, protesters said they expected him to step down.

"We hope that he will apologise and genuinely announce his resignation," law student Finaritra Manitra Andrianamelasoa, 24, told AFP at the city hall gathering, where a large flag of the Gen Z movement that led the protests was on display.

"We already expect him to offer his apologies to all Malagasy citizens, as we have had many casualties, relatives, who have been injured during the protests," said 19-year-old Steven Rasolonjanahary.

To try to defuse the protests, the president last month sacked his entire government.

Meeting one of the demands of the protesters, the Senate announced Sunday the dismissal of its president, Richard Ravalomanana, a former general of the gendarmerie.

Madagascar has had a turbulent political history since the country off the east coast of Africa gained independence from France in 1960.

The latest turmoil drew expressions of concern from the region.

The African Union's security council called on all armed forces "to return to uphold their constitutional mandate, and to refrain from meddling in the political affairs of the country".

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J.Romagnoli--IM